Jakarta (ANTARA) - The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to step up cooperation on wildlife protection, stressing the need for joint initiatives to safeguard animals with cross-border movements and habitats.
Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni raised the issue while hosting Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin in Jakarta on Wednesday (February 25), according to a statement received on Friday.
“Wild animals do not recognize state borders, their movements are ecological and borderless. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt a conservation approach that transcends administrative boundaries with the objective of protecting them,” Antoni said.
During the meeting, he outlined a report from technical aides in North Sumatra Province pointing to movements of Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) from Indonesia’s side of the border to the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.
He underscored that the primates, typically found in Kalimantan forests, have been declared Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. He also referred to similar behavioral patterns among local elephants and proboscis monkeys, both listed as Endangered.
Emphasizing international collaboration, the minister noted that Kalimantan’s forest landscape represents a single interconnected ecosystem transcending national borders.
On that note, he called for measures to shield endangered species from habitat fragmentation, land conversion, and mounting illegal activities in forests.
Ambassador Hussin welcomed Indonesia’s eagerness for synergy, assuring that Malaysia shares the commitment to strengthening technical collaboration on wildlife conservation.
He expressed hope that bilateral cooperation would serve as a benchmark for transnational conservation in Southeast Asia.
The Jakarta talks concluded with both sides voicing commitment to translate their discussions into formal cooperation mechanisms and to formulate a technical cooperation framework in the near future.
